Mimbres Lives and Landscapes

Edited by Margaret C. Nelson and Michelle Hegmon

People have called the mountains, rolling hills, wide valleys, and broad desert plains of southwestern New Mexico home for at least ten thousand years. When they began to farm a little more than two thousand years ago, they settled near the rich soils in the river floodplains. Then, around 900 CE, the people of this region burned all of their kivas and started gathering in large villages with small ritual spaces and open plazas. Between about 900 and 1100 CE, they also made the intricately painted geometric and figurative bowls in a style that is today called Mimbres, their best-known legacy. In the 1130s they stopped making this kind of pottery and drifted out of villages to more dispersed settlements.

These dramatic changes frame the story told in Mimbres Lives and Landscapes. The well-illustrated essays in this book offer the latest archaeological research to explain what we know and what questions still remain about the ancient people of this region. Beginning with an overview of the abrupt change in lifestyle that launched the distinctive Mimbres culture, the book explores the lives of men and women, their sustenance, the changing nature of leadership, and the possible meanings of their dramatic pottery designs.

“In the 11th century, Native American people living in the Mimbres region of southwestern New Mexico painted spectacular geometric and figurative designs in black and white on pottery that captivates and inspires people around the world today. This book explores the physical, social, and ideological lives of the people of the Mimbres region through current and on-going archaeological research. Mimbres Lives and Landscapes is engaging, readable, and comprehensive. The authors, who are experts in the field, invite you to explore the lives of the people whose pottery we so admire and provoke you to think about the ways they constructed and changed their world. The book is a visual and intellectual delight.”—Linda S. Cordell, National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences

“In this well-written and beautifully illustrated book, the latest results of archaeological research provide a cultural, environmental, and historical context for the remarkable achievements of the Classic Mimbres artists. Nelson and Hegmon are to be congratulated for bringing together leading researchers to produce a top-flight synthesis of current knowledge of the Mimbres tradition. This book will be of great value to archaeologists and non-archaeologists alike.”—Bill Lipe, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Washington State University

“The book is so appealing. Just layman enough to engage the regular person and packed with information to satisfy the more scholarly….Hurray for science!”—Laurel Thornburg, Sonoita, AZ

“In this volume designed for the general reader, 15 leading Mimbres scholars present the latest information on these fascinating people, their lives, and their art … Mimbres Lives and Landscapes is a valuable addition to the literature of one of the ancient Southwest’s most intriguing cultures.” —American Archaeology, Fall 2011, vol. 15, no. 3

Mimbres Lives and Landscapes Margaret C. Nelson and Michelle Hegmon

The Connected World of the Mimbres Ben A. Nelson

Settling In Patricia A. Gilman

Burning Down the House: Ritual Architecture of the Mimbres Late Pithouse Period Darrell Creel and Roger Anyon

Mimbres Society: Another Way of Being Michelle Hegmon

Mimbres Rituals and Worldview Harry J. Shafer

Women and Men in Black and White Marit K. Munson and Kelley Hays-Gilpin

Expressions in Black and White Michelle Hegmon

The Painters of the Pots Steven A. LeBlanc

Mimbres Potters’ Fields Paul E. Minnis and Jonathan Sandor

Mimbres Hunting and the Importance of Deer Karen Gust Schollmeyer

Mimbres, the Mystery? Margaret C. Nelson

The Red Paint People Stephen H. Lekson

Step Away from That Potsherd, Puleese! Creating a Culture of Conservation Steve Northup

There are no working papers for this book at the present time.

SAR AND ITS MISSION

The School for Advanced Research, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational institution, was established in 1907 to advance innovative social science and Native American art. Its 15-acre residential campus is located on the historic east side of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the nation’s oldest capital city.